Still Penny‘s “Stardust EP” is the perfect love child of 60′s and 70′s Zeppelin and Hendrix inspired rock and your 90′s and early 2000′s White Stripes and The Strokes alternative rock. With inspirations apparent.. It’s still hard not to say that this recent release by Annapolis natives Still Penny is genre defining. Lead vocalist and guitarist Sean Pennington’s ripping guitar leads and grooves getting you bopping your head up and down from the start with first track “Don’t Let Go”. But, the real kicker is his Pennington’s vocals. There is something very reminiscent of Nine Inch Nail‘s Trent Reznor in tone and even vocal melody at times throughout the album. This is a breath of fresh air in regards to Rock music in 2013. Not over eventuated, not over produced, not over autotuned. Just true blue passion and real deal singing. Which is what Rock needs more of these days.

The project began as a power trio with Sean Pennington, Matt Toronto, and Ben Gilbert.  Matt and Ben were instrumental in helping Sean craft the sound Still Penny has today.  After playing as a 3-piece for a few months (formerly known as Big Penny), Matt thought the idea of adding horns to the sound would set us apart from most blues rock style bands.  It was at this time Matt introduced Frank Dominguez (saxophone/vocals) to Sean.  After a few rehearsals and a show or two Frank became a permanent member of Still Penny. Frank then brought on Michael ‘Bravo’ Bravin (trombone) to write horn lines for the EP.

Still Penny released their EP on June 1st, 2013 with a bang at The Metropolitan. Their next show is this Saturday, June 22nd at Eastport A Rockin’ - Still Penny plays the J stage from 4:55 – 5:40.  Check out the Facebook event here.

Support came from Glasgow-based band SOS who delivered a short but confident slot; frontman, Jonny Skinner oozes cool and a swagger similar to Glasvegas’ James Allan, a trait he no doubt learned when supporting the band on tour in 2011. SOS’ signature sound has gained them a strong following, one which was in full support last night, raucous singing and cheering accompanying their set; their homegrown sound echoes The Scheme and Glasvegas.

The View took to the stage to a homecoming reception; the intimate capacity of King Tuts struggled to contain the enthusiasm of the crowd who clapped, sang, stamped their feet, heckled the band in good fun and clambered on top of one anothers shoulders, much to the annoyance of security and delight of fellow revellers cheering them on.

The band’s set was furious and fun; highlights from all four of their studio albums to date shaped the blistering set, including big hits, “Same Jeans”, “Wasted Little DJs”, “Shock Horror”, and signature song, “Superstar Tradesman”. Despite still hovering under the international radar in comparison to their musical counterparts, The View have an enviable and undeniable talent of stripping away the superficial sewage that has filtered into the music industry (with particular thanks to reality talent shows) and bringing a confident, cool set to their fans which oozes all the favourable components of a Glasgow house party.

Frontman, Kyle Falconer is the epitome of a loveable rogue; more cheeky than he is cool but has a positive habit of really letting himself go and enjoying a live show; a trait that translates well and enables fans to enjoy themselves even more. Falconer’s “wing man”, guitarist, Kieren Webster echoes this good-time vibe and The View are one of the few bands who look like genuine good pals onstage who are having a ball! Webster shone in his brief spotlight on tracks, “Hole In The Bed” and fan favourite, “Skag Trendy”.

The View have long outgrown their “pretenders to The Libertines crown” label they were dubbed with early in their career and last summer’s studio effort, “Cheeky For A Reason” proved that, but this special show obliterated any lingering doubts once and  for all.

Last night’s gig was a treat for fans and the ideal warm-up for the band who are supporting The Stone Roses this Saturday at Glasgow Green; The View may never experience the legendary status associated with The Stone Roses outside of Scotland at least, but Ian Brown and Co should be on high alert this weekend because THE VIEW ARE ON FIRE and may very well steal their comeback thunder.

However it has not come without controversy. Despite pulling in giant headliners (2012’s Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty are personal faves), the festival hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons last year as some eager festival-goers spent the night on a ferry, with other traffic backed up throughout the small island as poor conditions meant parking facilities were either difficult to reach or just completely unsuitable. In addition to this, there’s always a whisper each year that local residents are unhappy with the nuisance and disruption it brings to the town of Newport, in the heart of the island. Local councillors and politicians have been very vocal about their dislike for the festival.

Yet still, we have managed to cling on to our Isle of Wight Festival for another year. From June 13-16 The Stone Roses, The Killers and Bon Jovi headline respectively, bringing national and international talent to the island. The festival provides a real mix in its line-up, catering for old and young alike, with favourites including Blondie, T’Pau, Boomtown Rats and Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel catering for the post-80s punters, and the likes of Everything Everything, Bastille, Little Mix and Lawson for hip young chart-lovers.

There’s also a dance tent featuring a set by Example & DJ wire, as well as performances from Madeon, Benga & Youngman, Damien Lazarus and Ghostpoet. And if you’re one of the ones lucky enough to have Thursday tickets, you can catch Ms Dynamite, Grandmaster Flash and Jaguar Skillz on the 13^th. Though if that’s not your forte, then you can catch Happy Mondays, The Farm and Blockheads in the Big Top on Thursday.

There really is something for everyone at Isle of Wight, as the festival adds new attractions and entertainment every year. New for 2013 is The Cabaret Club, Bohemian Woods and outdoor hot tubs. So there’s no excuse not to get involved in the festival. Whether you’ve got a ticket, or have to make do with highlights on TV, Isle of Wight 2013 is not to be missed.

Held in the picturesque heart of Inverness, Rockness started in 2006 and has fast become the alternative to Balado’s T In The Park for many music revellers.

This year it shows mo sign of slowing down with a stellar line-up (and predicted sunshine!) Madness, The Vaccines, Ben Howard, Bombay Bicycle Club and Ellie Goulding are all scheduled to put in performances. However, the festival has remained true to it’s dance roots with Fatboy Slim, Example and Basment Jaxx all set to wow the crowd.

If you fancy a break from all the live music, an impressive line-up of stand-up comedy is also scheduled over the course of the weekend; home-grown funnyman, Daniel Sloss, Dylan Moran, radio personality, Des Clarke and Jim Jeffries will all be keeping the audience laughing at Rockness.

The warm-up is scheduled to kick off in Glasgow tonight with a pre-party at The Garage in Sauchiehall Street and tomorrow night at their sister venue in Aberdeen where punters are given the opportunity to win tickets to this year’s event. Over the course of Rockness weekend, club venues in Inverness are hosting similar event with tickets to be won, drink offers and fancy dress; this year’s chosen theme is thrift shop/vintage clothing.

Festival season has landed in Scotland . . . let’s just pray for sunshine!

Having already made waves in mainstream circuit, early reviews have dubbed Siddy “the punk Dolly Parton” and the singer herself has quoted Patsy Cline and The White Stripes among her influences, “I don’t think anyone sings about heartbreak like Patsy. From the age of 7 I was addicted to her soulful deliverance , and then at 14 I heard Hotel Yorba and I was conformed. I knew country rock and roll was what its all about”.

With her sister, Kit by her side on backing vocals, accordion and Hammond organ and guitarists, James Ashbury and Ben Johnsen, The Wildflowers will soon be a band dominating your radio.

We caught up exclusively with Siddy to chat sound, inspiration and touring the UK . . .

How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn’t heard it yet?

The five of us sing so its packed full of harmonies. Me and my sister are both in the band so with the boys, its got a powerful blend of male and female vocals. There’s an exciting mix of instruments like mandolin, accordion and Hammond organ and we are definitely lyrically driven so lot of our songs are stories. “Punky Dolly Parton” sums us up.

What do you think has shaped the musician you have become today?

My sister was the one who got me into playing guitar and writing songs when I was about 14 and I always went to a lot of festivals when I was little and I love the community feeling that they give. It’s really fun being backstage at a festival and I think that when I write music, I always write with the intention that I want it to go down well at festivals.

What are The Wildflowers plans for 2013?

We are lucky enough to be touring the UK with Tom Odell in October and November so we are really excited about that! This summer will see us recording our second EP with Brit-nominated producer, Jake Gosling and making our own video for our track, “Edge Of The Road” which is about wanting to move away. We filmed most of it while we were on tour so now it’s just a case of putting all the footage together. We will be playing Secret Garden Party which is probably one of my favourite UK festivals and we are also playing Bristol Gay Pride which is a really great event to be part of and I feel really honoured to be playing it.

“Wild Among The Flowers” is released on 24th June but will be on sale exclusively at their Dot-to-Dot dates and on their UK “Wild Among The Flowers” Tour in June. The EP will be available from Itunes and via their website - www.wildflowersband.co.uk.